ProgCenter - Threshold 2/4 - Subsurface (2004)

Today I will talk about what I consider a second Phase on the career of Threshold
The one that comes with Subsurface album

On this Album, an also since 1998's album Clone, that the band had a new vocalist, Andrew MacDermott. Andre MacDermott, or just "Mac" was for me one of the best singers I've known in metal, singing with such passion, power and even tough being able to pass all the messages without eating words with bad diction, In the last part of this Threshold Post I will post what happened to Mac.

For now the complete line up of the band was this in subsurface:

• Karl Groom - lead guitars
• Nick Midson - rhythm guitars
• Richard West - keyboards
• Andrew "Mac" McDermott - lead vocals
• Johanne James - drums
• Steve Anderson - bass

And the track list is this one

1. "Mission Profile" (Karl Groom, Richard West) – 8:19
2. "Ground Control" (West) – 7:13
3. "Opium" (Groom, West) – 6:48
4. "Stop Dead" (West) – 4:21
5. "The Art Of Reason" (Groom, West) – 10:20
6. "Pressure" (Groom, Nick Midson, West) – 5:17
7. "Flags And Footprints" (West) – 4:54
8. "Static" (Groom, West) – 5:07
9. "The Destruction Of Words" (Groom, West) – 6:14
10. "What About Me" (Johanne James) – 4:21 (bonus track)

This album was clearly more into Progressive sound, longer musics, change of musical pace and sound atmosphere changing within the music, all that completing the lyrics to give a full symbiotic sound,
This album is for me one of the most political, anti-corruption and meanigful album that I ever heard. IT can sometimes seem really harsh and lyrically violent, but every word and every meaning obliges us to stop and think, what do we want this World to be for us and for our descendants?
Listen one sample, Mission Profile, the number 1 track of this album.

and if you want to see the lyrics in full

Can we go on?
Can we be strong?

We've got a system, you're going to use it
We call it freedom and you are free to choose it
If you're not against it, you've got to be for it
Neutral is dangerous and you cannot ignore it

Can we go on? Forcing our hand
Can we be strong? 'Til others understand
Can we go on? To save our wounded land
Can we be wrong?

We've got the money, we're going to spend it
Peace is our mission, we'll murder to defend it
Sooner or later you'll get the picture
We're the creator and you were just created

Devastation, is where we're heading if we follow this illusion
Escalation, of all the hurting that is borne of our confusion
Unrelenting, as we persist in putting everyone beneath us
Never ending, until we understand our honesty deceives us

There is still one truth on which we can depend
We've started something we can never end

We know although we try to justify the means
The truth behind the end remains unseen
And while we all assume we all agree
We're giving up the freedom to be free

Disillusion is always possible but we've got propaganda
Mass confusion is always better than the threat of understanding
We'll deceive you, we've got so many ways to make you stand behind us
If we need to, we'll use them on ourselves to constantly remind us

There is just one lie that we can still defend
We've started something we can never end

We know although we try to justify the means
The truth behind the end remains unseen
And while we all assume we all agree
We're giving up the freedom to be free

There is still one truth on which we can depend
We've started something we can never end

We know although we try to justify the means
The truth behind the end remains unseen
And while we all assume we all agree
We're giving up the freedom to be free

The freedom to be free
The freedom to be free

Can we go on? Forcing our hand
Can we be strong? 'Til others understand
Can we go on? To save our wounded land
Can we be wrong?